Akil Smart
After years of hardships suffered under the hands of a series of unforgiving and corrupt presidents, Haiti's democracy has come to the brink. On February 7, 2021, the current sitting president, Jovenel Moïse, refused to step down from his office. His reasoning for not doing so was that an interim government had occupied the first year of his presidency, meaning his term would end on February 7 of the next year. This resulted from the 2016 elections being fraudulent and was intended to not leave a power vacuum in Haiti until a proper election could be held.
President Jovenel Moïse
This revelation provoked an immediate response from the opposition, who refuted this claim and called for President Moïse's resignation. Sunday following his announcement, protests, and clashes with the police had already begun, leading to many demonstrators' arrests. Amidst the chaos, the government announced that it had arrested 20 people believed to be involved in a coup attempt. Each of the figures arrested was prominent, including a supreme court judge and Haiti’s police general inspectors. Before these arrests, in an hour-long speech, the President stated, "I am not a dictator," in an attempt to reassure the people.
While President Moïse's supporters may have been reassured by this, it seems that the evidence is ever-increasing against him. Since his term began, Moïse has suspended two-thirds of the senate, the entirety of the lower Chamber of Deputies, and stripped the power of every single mayor in the country. This has left only eleven elected officials representing a country of over eleven million and the President ruling by presidential decree for nearly a year, refusing to hold any elections. The United States government has also been able to tie criminal attacks on the president's opposition back to high-ranking officials in the Haitian government. With President Moïse's refusal to step down, it may mean a dark future for democracy in Haiti.
Police move detained demonstrators in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on Sunday.
As tensions rise, many Haitians are fearful of what the future holds. Although the Haitian judiciary branch has ruled in favor of the opposition, deeming that Moïse's term was up on Sunday and the opposition choosing an interim leader, the people remain unsafe and unsure. Haiti's opposition party is currently not strong enough to form its own government, leaving no real challengers to the president's rule. The people, having faced an ongoing Kidnapping and ransom epidemic, covid-19 and over half of the country living in poverty, have begun to flee or fight. Many have begun to shelter in out of fear, while the opposition hopes to incite further demonstrations against the President. Many have begun to seek asylum in the United States due to the ongoing crisis but have been turned away. As the situation continues to worsen, it is probable that more will continue to run in search of asylum.
Haiti's current predicament may be the begging of the downfall of democracy in the country. As President Moïse leans further and further towards authoritarianism with no one to oppose his rule, Haiti's future remains uncertain. The people of Haiti will continue to struggle, hoping for an end to this nightmare.
References:
Board, E. (2021, February 10). Opinion | Haitians are fleeing their country. their president is the source of the problem. Retrieved February 11, 2021, from https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/global-opinions/haiti-jovenel-moise-dictator-immigration/2021/02/10/67fb4b06-6a53-11eb-9ead-673168d5b874_story.html
Hu, C. (2021, February 08). Haiti's government claims it Stopped coup Amid dispute over presidential term limit. Retrieved February 11, 2021, from https://edition.cnn.com/2021/02/07/americas/haiti-president-jovenel-moise-term-protests-intl/index.html
ICE defies Biden and Deports CHILD asylum seekers to Haiti as it faces political chaos. (2021, February 09). Retrieved February 11, 2021, from https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/biden-ice-haiti-children-deportation-b1799788.html
Isaac, H., Paultre, A., & Abi-habib, M. (2021, February 07). Haiti braces for unrest as president refuses to step down. Retrieved February 11, 2021, from https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/07/world/americas/haiti-protests-President-Jovenel-Mois.html
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